Impact of Train Wreck, Chemical Release Still Felt in South Jersey Town

Hundreds of residents have lawsuits pending gainst Conrail amid questions about the risks of transporting hazardous materials by rail.

Credit: Shumita Basu/NewsWorks

A train pulling chemical cars rolls through Paulsboro, N.J., where a 2012 derailment and spill has raised questions about the safety of transporting hazardous materials by rail.

Could it have been prevented? Could it happen again? What can be done to protect residents and first-responders in towns along Conrail's freight lines?

Eight months after a train derailed in Paulsboro, NJ, spilling 20,000 gallons of vinyl chloride, concerns about the risk of transporting hazardous materials by rail through the heavily populated Northeast remain in the forefront in Paulboro, where three additional first-responders have sued Conrail and its parent company, joining 250 or so other residents currently involved in at least 15 lawsuits filed against the company.